4A
EDtTORIALAND OPINION/Ctarlottt $ot
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
tlljc Cljarlotte
The Voice of the Black Community
1531 Camden Hoad Charlotte, N.C. 28203
Gerald O. Johnson ceo/publisher
Robert L Johnson CaPUBLISHER/CENERAL MANAGER
Herbert L White editor in chief
MATTTERS OF OPINION
proiits
would raise
oil prices
A windfall profits tax would
deter oil companies from
exploring for new sources
By Emmanuel K. Glapke
SPECIM. TO THE POST
W^ith the run-up in gasoline prices, the last thing we need is a
tax on so-called windfall oil profits. It would act as a disincen
tive to oil production and could lead to hi^er gas prices in the
future Yet that is what may happen if Congress imposes a tax
in the name of protecting the consumer.
While no one is happy about paying $2.50 a gallon or more for
gasoline, levying new taxes on the oil industry would likely end
up harming everyone who drives a car or heats their home with
oil or natural gas.
Consider what occurred in the 1980s, when, due to OPEC
manipulations and the political upheaval in Iran, oil became
scarcer and the federal government imposed price and allocation
controls on domestically produced oil and refined petroleum
products Oil companies were subject to an “excess” profits tax.
The result was long gas lines and the loss of half the benefits
consumers supposedly derived from government controls,
because of all the time we wasted waiting in lines. The windfall
profits tax, which was imposed in 1981 and finally dropped in
1989, led to even greater dependence on foreign oil, because it
put a damper on domestic oil exploration and production.
The effects of the tax help explain our current predicament.
The Congressional Research Service estimates that the tax
drained $79 billion in industry revenues, which companies could
have used to invest in new oil and gas production.
American prosperity was built on affordable oil and natural
gas. There’s nothing wrong with continuirig to rely on oil and gas
- it isn’t helping us while it sits in the ground • so long as there’s
a plan to expand and divCTsify production, while encouraging
conservation and the development of alternative energy sources.
But if oil and gas prices remain high and nothing is done to
increase domestic production, the economic damage could be
severe.
Reliance on imported oil has grown steadily over the last 30
years. According to Energy Department data, the United States
has increased its oil imports fixan 35 percent at the time of the
1973 oil embargo to nearly 60 percent today so volatility in
worid oil prices hurts not only consumers but places our nation’s
economy and national security at risk.
Higher world oil prices are the primary cause of sticker shock
at the gas pump, but they’re not the only contributing factor.
Expansion of U.S. oil refinery capacity has not kept up with
growth in demand-the result mainly of government restrictions
and permitting delays-a problem made worse when hurricanes
knocked out several refineries along the Gulf of Mexico coast.
The blow came during the summer driving season, and it not
only affected refineries but also oil-and-gas production facilities
and pipelines.
Yet we see that the oil and gas infrastructure is gradually
returning to normal and supplies are increasing. But we need
to guard against problems in the future. Because of decades of
fumbled energy policies, we have become more vulnerable than
ever to an interruption in foreign oil supplies. On any given day,
something could go terriUy wrong somewhere in the world: ter
rorism in the Middle East, oil worker strikes in Venezuela, civil
strife in Nigeria, dvil war in Indonesia, and political problems in
Russia.
The irony is that we talk so much about diversifying our sup
ply of oil fioni abroad, but do so little to expand our oil produc
tion in the Uirited States. About 30 percent of our domestic oil
comes fiom the central and western Gulf of Mexico, but there
are substantial reserves in the eastern part of the Gulf that are
off-limits to exploration and production. Also, the entire Atlantic
and Pacific Coasts are off limits. And efforts to build terminals
outside the Gulf region so as to permit increased imports of liq
uefied natiiral gas have been largely blocked.
Some environmentalists warn about prpblems fiom offshore
platforms and pipelines, but spUs in U.S. waters have been few
and far between. Despite hurricanes Katrina and Rita this year
and Ivan a year ago, there have been no significant oU spills
finm exjdoration and production activities confirmed in the
waters of the Gulf Great advances in producticffi technology
and management systems have made it possible to paotect the
aivironment even in severe storm conditions.
U.S. oil and gas production is essential fco* economic growth
and naticmal security As a nation we need to move ahead with
efforts to expand oil jModucticHi in finntier areas, and oil refinery
capacity upgrade cmr energy deliv«y systems, increase energy
efficiency and the use of alternative energy sources, and increase
the diversity of supply The recent jump in gasoline prices
underscores the need to begin the process now - so Icmg as the
fiiee market is allowed to work and companies don't get driven
(ff by punitive taxes.
EMMANUEl^ K. GLAPKE is professor of mechamcal engineering
Howard Um\'ersir\
ANeAlJlYFtSeseNr...
AIDS: No time for complacency
George E.
Curry
The CDC reported last
week that the number of
newly-diagnosed HIV infec
tions among African-
Americans has declined an
average of 5
percent a year
for the past
three years.
Usually such
as drop would
be viewed as
good news.
But it’s not.
Consider
this: More
than 368,000
blacks have been infected
with AIDS since the disease
was first diagnosed almost a
quarter of a century ago.
That’s larger than the popu
lation of either Miami, St.
Louis, Pittsburgh, Tampa,
Greensboro or Baton Rouge,
La. Blacks are 12.3 percent of
the U.S. population yet
accoimt for 40 percent of
AIDS cases diagnosed.
Also consider this: By the
end of 2004, according to the
CDC, more than 200,000
African-Americans with
AIDS had died. That’s larger
than either Spokane, Wash.;
Augusta, Ga.; Little Rock,
Ark.; Salt Lake City Utah;
Knoxville, Tbnn.; Huntsville,
Ala. or New Haven, Conn.
Numbers get tossed around
so fi^uently that there is a
tendency to be numbed by all
the figures. But we’re not
talking numbers - we’ue talk
ing about people. Real people
Enough to form a mid-size
city
But even numbers need to
be placed in perspective.
Overall, the rate of AIDS
diagnosed for Afiican-
Americans in 2004 was
almost ,10 times the rate for
Whites and almost three
times the rate for Latinos.
But when you compare the
statistics by gender, the gap
is even more startling.
Of women diagnosed with
HJV from 2001-2004, more
than two-thirds — 68 percent
—were African-American;
whites were 16 percent and
Latinos 15 percent. The CDC
found that 78 percent ofblack
females contracted HIV
through heterosexual activi
ties.
Among men diagnosed with
HIV during that same period,
45 percent were black, 37 per
cent white and 16 percent
Latino. Almost half of
Afiican-American men - 49
percent — contracted HIV
through sex with other men.
And 67 percent of them weie
unaware that they were
infected, according to the
CDC.
The CDC cites an array of
factors — poverty, limited
awareness of HIV status, dis
proportionate rates for sexu
ally transmitted diseases,
mistrust and limited access
to healthcare — that help
explain the glaring gaps in
the numbers.
At some point, however,
while acknowledging that
those are all legitimate fac
tors, Afiican-Americans must
realize that not enough is
being done to lessen the like
lihood of blacks contracting
HIV. And when African-
Americans do contract HIV,
they are late finding out,
meaning that they run a
hi^er risk of death because
of delayed treatment.
Black religious and political
leaders must move beyond lip
service and consistently orga
nize testing programs. The
community must offer realis
tic sex education for our
young people. To support
abstinence only programs for
te^is when almost half of
them acknowledge being sex
ually active is, in some
instances, signing their death
certificates. The issue is not
whether teens should abstain
finm sex - few disagree with
that notion — but what to do
about those who do not.
If we’re serious about curb
ing this epidemic, we must
aggressively promote the use
of condoms. A report by the
Population Action
International in Washington,
D.C. stated, “The condom is
the only technology available
for protection fiom sexually
transmitted HIV.” It noted,
“Public health experts
around the globe agree that
condoms block contact with
body fluids that can carry the
HIV virus and have nearly
100 percent effectiveness
when used correctly and con
sistently”
When I attended an inter
national conference on ADDS
in Bangkok, Thailand last
year, I noticed how some
countries are not squeamish
about distributing condoms.
They pass them out at major
public events, enlist the assis
tance of taxi drivers and
make them easily available
in public places without stig
matizing users. Yet, in the
U.S., where sex is used to sell
everything fi*om automobiles
to vacations, we are timid
about discussing condoms
Actually, we’re not talking as
much about condom use as
we are about saving lives.
The federal government
must play an important role.
Elected officials shouldn’t be
allowed to get away with say
ing they are interested in,
IirV and AIDS programs
while slashin’g funds for
them. And nor should corpo
rations and foundations.
The Black AIDS Institute in
Los Angeles does more than
any other organization in the
Black community to keep this
issue before the public. But
Phill Wilson, executive direc
tor of the organization, says
this year his group has had
its income reduced by 50 per
cent, causing him to cut his
small staff Evidently in the
national rush to help victims
of Hurricane Katrina, many
contributors are shifting
funds away from other
worthwhile programs
This is no time to abandon
anti-AIDS activists . or to
become complacent.
GEORGE E. CVRRY is editor-
in-chief of the NNPA News Service
and BlackPressUSA.com. He
appears on National Public Radio
as part of “News and Notes with
Ed Gordon.” To contact Curry, go
to his Web site, w’ww.georgecur-
Pv'com.
Voter discontent with CMS sank bonds
LeWis
Guiignard
When Citizens For
Effective Government oiga-
nized our campaign against
the bonds, we found people
opposed the bonds for a vari
ety of reasons.
Concerns included disci
pline, assignment policies,
lack of resources in low per
forming schools, waste on
new schools, locations of new
schools,
unneeded
renovations,
and ineffec
tive school
programs.
There were
also voters
upset with
both higher
taxes and the
hi^ihanded reversal of the
Arena Vote. The only com
mon denominator was dissat
isfaction with leadership at
CMS and the BOCC. The
result was a resoimding
defeat of the CMS and land •
bonds.
This change in opinion fium
regular support of bonds to
the defeat of CMS bonds and
associated land bonds and
OTily a dose win for CPCC
bonds indicates a m^jor shift
in the opinions of the voters
about leadership in those
areas.
Despite this vote, we are
convinced everyone who
voted against the bonds
wants to see CMS succeed. In
fact we believe it would be
hard to find scsneone who
doesn’t
Thus the focus should be on
the strong message of this
vote and what must be done
to bring the people of
Mecklenburg together in sup
port of CMS.
The voter’s concerns are
easily listed The answers are
simple — they are not neces
sarily easy
• Discipline in the schools
starts with grade one. It
takes requirii^ respect cou
pled with punishment It
requires support of the teach
ers in controlling dassrooms.
• Assignment policies
should avoid utopian ideals
and social engineering. The
result is neighborhood
schools. People want to know
where their children are
going to school this year and
next. Their children are not
pawns, as some elected to
office seem to think.
However, with neighborhood
schools comes the responsi
bility to assure resources for
low performing schools are
fully funded.
• Building design should be
simple. We do not need 28
foot foyers or a new eirchitec-
tural design for every school.
There are methods of design
ing and building schools
available to save thousands
of tax dollars on every sdiool.
These methods should be
sou^t out and used.
For years CFEG has noted
the renovation prc^am is
wasteful and the mainte
nance program underfunded.
CFEG has proven the build
ing standards used as a rea
son to tear down and rebuild
are not related to student
performance. Yet this waste
continues. This program
needs to be pruned severely
Then the maintenance pro
gram needs to be properly
funded.
There are various pro
grams, including pre-k,
which need to be eliminated
and those resources made
available for more effective
programs.
Doing these things will
eliminate the need for hi^er
taxes. Unfortunately little, if
anything, can be done to alle
viate the distrust of voters
resulting fix)m our elecrted
leaders misuse of the taxpay
ers after the arena vote.
All these issues are in the
purview of our elected offi
cials, thus the one encom
passing reason for the bond
defeat is dissatisfaction with
leadership. Elected officials
misunderstand bond votes if
they believe they should
receive automatic stamps of
approval. Bond votes are a
request by dected officials to
the people to obligate their
taxes for a repayment of debt
for a specific.
If the people do not trust
the leaders, or are unhappy
with previous political
actions, then one can not
expect the people to extend
credit. This is the reason for
the no vote. Thus to move
Mecklenburg Coimty forward
in a positive manner, our
elected officials must heed-
the message erf* this vote. Tb
ignore the message, to pre
tend it didn?t happen, to say
they don?t understand, is
coimterproductive and will
likely bring more of the same.
Even worse, for some elected
leaders to threaten to punish
tile people for a no vote is
arrogant, and indicates alack
of understanding of the rela
tionship of elected office to
the voters.
In a democracy or a repub
lic, which we are, elected offi
cials work for the people, not
the other way around. This
was a reminder, and finm the
words of some elected offi
cials, they need reminding.
It is obvious the voters used
one of the few methods avail
able for expressing dissatis
faction with the direction of
leadership. They did not
replace the leaders for vari
ous reasons, but they rejected
two of their proposals. This is
a strong indication of dissat
isfaction with direction.
The ability and responsibil
ity to defuse this unrest lies
with our elected leaders. But
if there are those who refuse
to address the^ issues, who
pretend the people don?t
know what they are doing,
they are wrong.
If there are leaders who
have that point of view they
should at least be honorable:
accept the democratic deci
sion of the people, resign and
let others lead in their stead.
LEWIS GUIGNARD is presi
dent of Citizens For Effective
Government